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Cavemen boys' basketball camp instruction ends Wednesday

By Richard BriggsCurrent-Argus Sports Editor

Posted:
06/05/2012 06:28:23 PM MDT

Carlsbad High School's summer camps continue with the boys basketball camp wrapping up Wednesday at the school gymnasium.

Head coach Jamaal Brown, other coaches and assistant coaches in the program, and current Cavemen basketball players instructed kids from kindergarten age to ninth grade on Monday and Tuesday with the final day of camp today. Like with all the camps, Brown wants to help kids learn the basics and enjoy the sport.

"Camp should be all about fun," Brown said. "If the kids go home and say they had a great time, then they'll want to come back next year and be willing to continue with the basketball program."

The basketball camp is a great tool for the kids to learn the fundamentals of the game, said Rosendo Arrieta, a senior guard for next year's Cavemen basketball team.

"Most of these kids watch these pro players but don't really learn the fundamentals," Arrieta said. "All they want to do is shoot fade-aways, but camps like this help them learn the fundamentals to get to that point."

The fundamentals taught at the camp include ball handling, and the Cavemen basketball players demonstrated the drills to the kids before the kids would execute the same drills. The players circled the ball between their legs and their backs quickly for the demonstrations, showing how often they do the drills themselves.

When it came time for the kids to mimic their high school mentors, basketballs escaped hands and went in all different directions. Brown made sure to teach the kids to move slower and practice at home in order to learn the drills correctly.

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Arrieta said teaching the kids during the basketball camp has given him a different perspective on the game.

"It helps me appreciate more of what coaches have to go through," he said. "It gives us more of an understanding of the game. It helps me teach the game, but while I'm teaching it I'm learning it."

Brown said his players and coaches are the people who teach the kids what it takes to play Carlsbad basketball.

"We're using people who are involved in the program, who know the program, and can get across to the kids not only basketball skills but attitude," Brown said. "They can tell these young ones what it takes to be a Caveman basketball player."

Even with the fun atmosphere of the camp, Brown said he does look at kids who can contribute to the program in the future.

"As a head coach you're constantly evaluating talent," he said. "You're constantly looking at kids who can help you on the varsity level. I've always got my eye open."

But Brown wanted to make sure the camp ran smoothly first, and with 126 kids participating in the camp he said he appreciated parents for being patient that first day of the camp when lines were long trying to get kids signed up.

"I'm very happy with the support the community gave to the camp this first year," Brown said. "I look forward to getting more kids involved in the basketball program, and we'll do as much as we can here at the high school level to get the youth involved so we can grow our program the way it needs to be grown."

Arrieta echoed a similar statement as his head coach.

"This year was a great turnout, but I really hope it increases a lot more through the years," Arrieta said. "I see a lot of good things for this program."